i had to stop writing for a bit, but i didn’t stop seeing live music here in austin. in august i did hit the road to see Phish at the red rocks amiptheater in colorado (the muffler fell off my car in the middle of nowhere, colorado on a Sunday morning… bless the AAA-sanctioned local serviceman who, on his back in a hot parking lot, wired my muffler back onto my car-- yes wired-- for 20 dollars)… some bands i have seen in austin the past 2 months that deserve their own longer write-up:
Ha Ha Tonka--
(from springfield, missouri) i caught these guys at Blootshot Records 15th birthday party -- for crying out loud can you beat free beer? (tipped the volunteers well) but i did not have beer goggles when witnessing Ha Ha Tonka: mix the raucousness of old 97’s rock with the harmonies of ladysmith black mambazo and stir in occasional key elements of bluegrass.. (but to clarify--these guys are more indie rock than alt country rock).. hot shit.
The Gourds--
The Gourds--
music directors & DJs should not have favorites, just as parents and teachers should not… whatever. The Gourds are my favorite austin band. period. after recently reading a bunch about texas music history, my ears were flipping out, dissecting & detecting all the individual genre influences found in their music. i heard blues, garage rock, cajun, bluegrass, country-- al with their brand of wacky brilliant songwriting and spontaneous string-pickin jams (and does anything beat Kevin Russell’s dancing?) their latest album Haymaker is a carnival in a barn-- this winter i saw the cd release parties in both luckenbach and new braunfels-- so back in austin this summer, i was ready to dance with a lampshade on my head in the sunset dust. love this band, and will rave more in the future i’m sure..
O Positivo--
my first impression is that this band is a traditional salsa band -- complete with 10 members and really authentic vocals. their sound is very rich and rather perfected for 10 people to be playing instruments at once. then i saw this on their myspace page: “O Positivo blends salsa standards with classic son, mambo, and modern cuban timba.” OK so i was no far off-- if you like salsa, if you dance salsa, this band is the real thing.
O Positivo--
my first impression is that this band is a traditional salsa band -- complete with 10 members and really authentic vocals. their sound is very rich and rather perfected for 10 people to be playing instruments at once. then i saw this on their myspace page: “O Positivo blends salsa standards with classic son, mambo, and modern cuban timba.” OK so i was no far off-- if you like salsa, if you dance salsa, this band is the real thing.
Sideshow Tragedy--
this band was my favorite discovery last year. they are normally a trio, and recently i saw them as a duo (the drummer Jeremy Harrell broke his wrist--dang!) imagine nirvana’s virility, rawness, and power… but not nirvana’s music. Sideshow Tragedy is in the vein of indie rock-- or more appropriately phrased, they are Nathan Singleton’s poetic songs plugged in, fleshed out, rocked out. holy fuck. even if you are a guy, you will get pregnant just being in the room. to witness these guys culminate energy is jaw-dropping-- each of the three (Nathan on guitar, Jeremy on drums, Justin Wade Thompson on bass) is a master of his instrument. Justin usually cannot stand still-- he roams with his bass guitar continuously across, off of, back onto, the stage-- and without a drummer thrashing and crashing, he admitted he chose the electric upright bass intentionally for the duo set -- it made him stand still. even as a duo, even standing still, they created a full sound. Nathan’s songs are lyrically well crafted and delivered with bona fide vocal gravel. these guys are rock and roll personified-- do not miss them. and fasten your seat belt.
The Djembabes--
if you know what a djembe is, you can begin to get the picture from the name.. this is a 12 piece all-women ensemble who play rhythms from west africa (mali, guinea, ivory coast, etc.), sing the corresponding songs, and educate the crowd to boot -- they explain the community or village roots behind most pieces they perform. this is music for all ages to dance and feel good to -- and their vocals are completely beautiful and impressive. the members are not from west africa, bit the bandleader travels there once a year and brings back the music to share. beautiful!
Del Castillo--
self-titled as “latin rock”-- they blend english and spanish, flamenco and rock, twin classical guitars with intense percussion, ballads with dance numbers.. rumba, salsa, reggae, blues.. and the room is covered with sweat pretty quickly. del castillo plays very tight and you can tell they are tight as people-- son la familia! los hermanos are pretty funny too-- busting on each other! lot of love and energy on the stage-- i was dancing in flip flips and did my best to keep up.. eat a big spicy meal before you see these guys-- you will need the kick to keep up with them.
this band was my favorite discovery last year. they are normally a trio, and recently i saw them as a duo (the drummer Jeremy Harrell broke his wrist--dang!) imagine nirvana’s virility, rawness, and power… but not nirvana’s music. Sideshow Tragedy is in the vein of indie rock-- or more appropriately phrased, they are Nathan Singleton’s poetic songs plugged in, fleshed out, rocked out. holy fuck. even if you are a guy, you will get pregnant just being in the room. to witness these guys culminate energy is jaw-dropping-- each of the three (Nathan on guitar, Jeremy on drums, Justin Wade Thompson on bass) is a master of his instrument. Justin usually cannot stand still-- he roams with his bass guitar continuously across, off of, back onto, the stage-- and without a drummer thrashing and crashing, he admitted he chose the electric upright bass intentionally for the duo set -- it made him stand still. even as a duo, even standing still, they created a full sound. Nathan’s songs are lyrically well crafted and delivered with bona fide vocal gravel. these guys are rock and roll personified-- do not miss them. and fasten your seat belt.
The Djembabes--
if you know what a djembe is, you can begin to get the picture from the name.. this is a 12 piece all-women ensemble who play rhythms from west africa (mali, guinea, ivory coast, etc.), sing the corresponding songs, and educate the crowd to boot -- they explain the community or village roots behind most pieces they perform. this is music for all ages to dance and feel good to -- and their vocals are completely beautiful and impressive. the members are not from west africa, bit the bandleader travels there once a year and brings back the music to share. beautiful!
Del Castillo--
self-titled as “latin rock”-- they blend english and spanish, flamenco and rock, twin classical guitars with intense percussion, ballads with dance numbers.. rumba, salsa, reggae, blues.. and the room is covered with sweat pretty quickly. del castillo plays very tight and you can tell they are tight as people-- son la familia! los hermanos are pretty funny too-- busting on each other! lot of love and energy on the stage-- i was dancing in flip flips and did my best to keep up.. eat a big spicy meal before you see these guys-- you will need the kick to keep up with them.
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